Tag Archives: west chester

will chester county residents rise up to save the west chester growers market?

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As I posted yesterday, the West Chester Growers Market is once again at risk from a developer and West Chester Borough.

As I said yesterday, it’s literally like Groundhog Day.

it’s groundhog day in west chester borough

So there’s this developer who presented the same plan about developing affordable (“attainable”) housing to West Goshen like the day before they made a pitch to West Chester Borough.

And again in West Chester Borough, it’s a developer drooling after that Church Street lot where the West Chester Growers Market is. One of the longest standing and truly wonderful farmers markets in our region, and they’re threatening it again. What is it about the church street lot that makes every developer have to have it ?



Also interesting about this other than the fact that the in my opinion back door presentation was done the day before West Chester Borough in West Goshen. Very interesting that both municipalities share the same solicitor, right? That’s kind of a coincidence that really isn’t, isn’t it?

So yeah, this developer is shopping. This idea all over the place correct? Give them the land they’ll build you supposed affordable housing. I have a bridge I can sell you.

And I know the solicitor isn’t going to like my opinion because they haven’t liked my opinion for years, have they? But the one thing they can’t remove are our constitutional rights to have an opinion and ask questions, correct?

And they said West Chester Borough has to make a decision in four days? Four days for a life, altering decision for residents, and one of the oldest farmers markets in the area? Most reasonably intelligent elected officials would walk away from such a proposition, but who knows what will happen with the Borough of West Chester, because that place is perennially slightly shady about stuff, right?

This is not about truly building affordable housing. This is just another way for developers to get projects built.

Look no local government should be assisting a developer with financing, correct? In the end is this all just to support the developers and those developers support?

And  regarding the numbers of “needed” units, no one has asked them to produce the data that lead them to that number, have they?

If West Chester Borough or West Goshen really needs/wants “accessible housing” then apply for the state funding to do it . Or get a 3rd party 501c3, like SELF Inc. purchase an appropriate spot and create housing – same BS is happening in Montgomery County and Bucks too.

Supposedly, there are West Chester Borough Council meetings this week. Their website isn’t very good but I know this will be discussed, and people are entitled to public comment. People should check the agendas carefully because this is also something that would have had to have been properly advertised ahead of time, and have you seen it properly advertised anywhere? 

https://west-chester.com/

I will close this post with another snippet from the West Chester meeting this week. Listen and decide for yourselves. If I lived in West Chester Borough, I would get all my friends and neighbors at every public meeting this week to protest this. if I was running the West Chester Growers Market, I would be consulting with attorneys to make sure rights were protected, can’t you agree?

Thank you to West Goshen Sunshine for making us all aware of this, and also thank you to Cara at Hello West Chester for her coverage as well.

new owner for historic faunbrook in west chester?

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So perhaps Faunbrook has a new owner? Apparently the winning bid was around $903,000. And it seems the bid accepted is the lady who owns The Bookhouse Hotel in Kennett Square which is a beautiful and cool place. If this is true, then sign me not just cautiously optimistic, but optimistic.

When Faunbrook went up for Sheriff Sale we all who love that place and Chester County History felt a pit in the bottom of our stomachs. I know people who were interested in the property who told me the sale had gotten too rich for their blood. I still don’t understand how it all happened and I was so sad for the deceased former owner who was beloved in the community.

I looked at Faunbrook for a wedding a bunch of years ago. It’s a magical place. So let us all think positive thoughts that the sale goes through. I would had to see an unscrupulous developer get their paws on this beauty.

Some other stuff I found on Faunbrook is linked below and have a good weekend.

https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/faunbrook-bed-and-breakfast-west-chester

Faunbrook Bed & Breakfast’s Holiday Party
Exton Chamber of Commerce to recognize B&B owner, area banker
West Chester’s Historic Faunbrook Inn Goes up for Auction on Thursday
West Chester Weekly News Roundup: Mar. 25, 2022

abandoned.

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This is along 100 in West Chester. The Old Pottstown Pike section. On the right as you are headed towards West Chester Borough.

I am told that it is actually in West Whiteland. I was never sure. I thought maybe West Goshen originally.

As for who once lived there I was told a man who worked on cars, dabbled in antiques and old photos too. That resulted in a memory of a conversation with a friend of mine who is a local historian years ago who said he gave her photos or a photo for a book she published. I am told his name was Bob Swayne?

So how does a house get to this state? Who were his heirs? How can any municipality just ignore this?

I took photos of this house a few years ago. Of course I can’t find them, but I do not remember the house being tagged. I don’t remember the roof having fallen apart.

It’s not a great beauty of a house. It’s probably not historic in any way. But once it was someone’s home. That is just a little sad.

pay it forward for new babies at chester county hospital…,

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Just paying it forward- can you help? Here’s what the nurses and staff at Chester County Hospital are asking for your help with:

Help needed: The Well Baby Nursery at The Chester County Hospital is in need of knit or crocheted baby hats. The hats need to be small enough to fit an infant who is 5-6 pounds but stretchy enough to fit a larger infant-not a toddler or an adult. The average infant head is 12-14”. We are down to nothing but what you see here and the plain white hats we put on the babies immediately after delivery in Labor and Delivery. The donations would be greatly appreciated by the nurses, new moms & babies. The hats can either be dropped off at the main desk or sent to The Chester County Hospital
701 East Marshall St West Chester, PA 19380 Attn: Maternity Hats
Please share this post with anyone who likes to knit or crochet! 🧶
THANK YOU!!!! 💜💜💜💜💜

I can’t knit or crochet anything so all I can do is share! I will also note that chemo lounges can always use adult sized handknit caps for cancer patients.

#PAYITFORWARD

steamy friday treasure hunting

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Melangell Antiques

Melangell Antiques – House & Garden – 1133 Pottstown Pike West Chester PA – open Tuesday they Saturday 11 AM – 6 PM – Magical !! 610-624-4577

But wait…there is more….

Surrey Consignment Shop today – always treasures waiting! Tuesday – Saturday 10 AM – 4 PM. 810 Lancaster Ave Berwyn PA 610-647-8632

meanwhile in west chester borough there is a slight environmental issue on marshall drive…

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⁦‪West Chester Residents of Marshall Drive in West Chester Borough said OIL was pumped out from somewhere and ran down street into the storm sewer? This is NOT really cleaned up is it?

So West Chester Borough who did this? Who is responsible for clean up? Does this look remediated? Do your storm sewers run to streams?

And people who reported it surmise given the amount that flowed down the street a contractor must have pumped it from a basement? So I guess that means they were removing an oil tank or an oil tank ruptured or something? Is that stuff supposed to be pumped into a street or is it supposed to be pumped into receptacles and removed? Does anyone know who this contractor was?

Also, because we’re talking about something that is petroleum what does that do to the road surface if it’s not cleaned up properly?

Here’s hoping this gets figured out in West Chester Borough, right?

My final comment is I am not saying accidents don’t happen. Accidents do happen but it’s all how you react to them and this looks a little messy.

melangell antiques, house & garden: a beautiful new west chester, pa destination!

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There is a new kid in town for antiques in Chester County and it is in a word: fabulous!

This business is newly opened in an old estate hunting lodge. A rather famous one to local history buffs. Also known as “Wrangley Lodge”, in an amazing century-plus old Arts and Crafts style designed by Charles Barton Keen as part of the original Greystone Estate. This is special to me because one of my very close friends and honorary other mother’s is his granddaughter. And those who know me know I love a good adaptive reuse, and some of my favorite antique stores have been in restored old houses! (You know like another favorite business down in Chadds Ford, Brandywine View Antiques.)

The house itself is magical all by itself. But store owner Laura DePrisco has created a wonderful atmosphere at Melangell. It’s lovely, beautiful, and welcoming. Every room moves effortlessly into the next. As a store it is so well put together and merchandised. There is so much to look at, but it does not feel crowded or cluttered. That is an issue I have with antique stores at times when they feel crowded and disorganized then it’s hard to look at things. And then there are other antique stores where you’re afraid to look at anything because it feels like a museum. This store is just right, and it flows.

Laura is welcoming and has a real artistic eye and an eye for detail. Seriously, every room is delightful. And there’s a second floor too. And that is something I love antique stores — ones that are more than one floor or level in a building.

We bought a few things, including a lovely old landscape oil painting that needed to be framed. So we left Melangell and next stop was my favorite framers, Framers Market Gallery in Malvern!

I can’t wait to go back! I also think it would be a place to take my friends. It would make a fab girl’s shopping night out place! Melangell also has some great pieces outside that would be fun for a porch and garden.

Melangell can be found on Instagram. The shop is located at 1133 Pottstown Pike, West Chester, PA 19380. The shop is opened Monday through Saturday 11 AM to 6 PM. (610)- 624- 4577.

🌟 Please note that I have not been compensated in any way for this review. I am sharing my lovely experience today at this new business 🌟

#ShopLocal #ShopSmall

the devil is in the details

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You never know when you’re going to see that unexpected thing that you want to photograph. I found one of those things today when I photographed that segment of wall you see above.

I was in downtown West Chester for the moving sale for the store Dishfunctional on S. Franklin Street. They have been in this old warehouse for a number of years and they are moving soon to Lincoln Court in Frazer because West Chester borough approved Eli Kahn to build like two more apartment buildings.

Now I feel building apartments right there is just stupid because everyone knows it floods. And the other thing is every time you hear of some new ugly apartment building going up you wonder why nobody does adaptive reuse? Do you still see it in the city of Philadelphia in spots (my recent favorite example is The Gotham – look it up.)

So you have here this perfect section of old brick wall. What was it from? Where does it go because doesn’t it look like something is bricked up?

I have no idea what the latest behemoth apartment building will sprawl across but I don’t think that wall will survive somehow. So I decided to take its picture because I think it’s just so cool.

The new construction we see today is without depth, human scale, design, imagination, and sometimes you wonder about the quality of the whole project. They certainly don’t do brickwork like this anymore.

Thanks for stopping by. Off to watch A Discovery of Witches.

festive and wonderful marshallton!!

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This afternoon started at The Cottage Shop in Marshallton. It’s a lovely little spot which is only open a few times a year, and it is something I missed during COVID19. This little gem is on W. Strasburg Rd not too far down from The Four Dogs Tavern.

Then it was off to the front porch of The Marshalton Inn for a Holiday Artisan Market with Re-Imagined Style and others. (They are there until 3:30 PM then it’s all hands on deck as they get ready to light the tree and welcome Santa to one of my favorite and so historic villages! The tree lighting is at historic Martin’s Tavern at 4 PM and festivities run until 6 PM!

Our last stop was The Four Dogs Tavern for lunch and to get some more Four Dogs swag (T-shirts, they make great gifts!)

Four Dogs Tavern is one of my favorite places. The atmosphere is awesome, and the food is always very good. I was very amused today after lunch when I had stepped outside and was waiting for my husband and this small group of Trendy Wendys stepped out of the Four Dogs and one said to the other “Well it looks like an old building I guess.”

Wisely I said nothing. But in my head, I was definitely rolling my eyes because oh that building has history!

If you are interested in more of the history of this area or would like to support the history, please check out The Marshallton Conservation Trust website.

Although we didn’t make any other stops we ended up coming through the Borough of West Chester which is also getting all gussied up for the holidays and looks very festive.

I will note that I decided to go to Marshallton today on my own and I was not asked to write anything, nor am I being compensated for my opinions.

There’s lots to love in Chester County this Christmas! Go exploring!

reimagined wonderful

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Today was a fun day that started out at an open house at the Reimagined Style studio. I had the best time.

When you walk into Tracy’s studio it’s a fabulous glimpse into her creative process as an artist. It’s also a wonderfully curated collection of antiques and vintage collectibles including some fabulous vintage and antique textiles. I came away with some fabulous vintage ornaments, and other ideas for gifts.

Reimagined Style will be around during the holidays and be sure to keep an eye out. If anything in my photos catches your eye, message them via Instagram or Facebook.

I am a happy customer. I have not been asked to write this post nor have I been compensated for this post.

#ShopSmall